Ancient History

One major accomplishment of Augustus Caesar was that he restored and maintained peace in the city of Rome, also known as the Pax Romana. Prior to Augustus, Rome was a city plagued with civil disobedience, class wars and greed.

A:The Mayan people invented complex and highly accurate calendars based off astronomical readings. They are also believed to have discovered the technique of vulcanization, a process that strengthens rubber by adding other materials.

A:The ancient Babylonians used sharpened weapons such as sickle swords, socketed axes, spears, and the Egyptian-derived bladed mace, as well as clubs and staffs, and projectiles flung from war slings. The Babylonians were a Bronze Age people, so the bladed weapons they used were made of a softer metal than later civilization's iron and steel. This made them less effective in battle than iron and iron-alloy based weapons, as iron is harder and harder blades can take a sharper point.

A:The discovery of America is most commonly attributed to Christopher Columbus, as it was he who revealed the Americas to early-modern Europe. Scholars entertain many alternative answers to who discovered America depending on the specific parameters of what constitutes "discovery."

A:Alexander the Great created the largest political empire in the ancient world. He is considered a great military leader and was an inspiration to future leaders such as Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte.

A:Since ships in the 1700s relied on sails to propel them, the length of the voyage greatly depended on the wind. An immigrant who made the journey in 1750 reported that it could take between eight and 12 weeks, while another who arrived in 1724 reported that the journey took six weeks and three days. The average journey was about seven weeks.

A:Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator, sailed west from Spain in the early 16th century in hopes of finding a western shipping route to Indonesia's Spice Islands. With five ships and more than 250 men, he reached Brazil, where he looked along the coast of South America for a strait leading to the Pacific Ocean. After camping in Port St. Julian for the winter, Magellan found the strait.

A:Astrophysicists believe the Earth and the rest of the solar system is the result of the Big Bang and its explosions of massive stars. The Big Bang and the stellar explosions, called supernovas, blasted untold amounts of material into space. Eventually, the matter cooled down and began to clump together into a hot, spinning cloud that eventually became a solar nebula.

A:Although historians do not agree on the exact starting time, the Zhou dynasty in China lasted approximately from 1046 to 221 B.C. and is the longest dynasty in the history of the nation. It is also called the Chou dynasty. Under this dynasty, most of China operated under one government for the first time.

A:Women in ancient China lived oppressed lives, and their roles centered around caring for their husbands, cleaning, cooking and looking after their kids. The women of ancient China were expected to bear many children, and most of them felt pressure from their husbands to bear a son despite its being beyond their control.

A:Charles Darwin is famous for the strong case he made in support of his theory of evolution. He showed how species changed over time, and proposed that all life resulted from evolution. His theory was controversial but eventually caught on with the scientific community.

A:Great Britain won the Opium War against China. Their victory created foreign spheres of influence in China, allowed Great Britain to take possession of Hong Kong, opened China to European influence and created a drug epidemic in southeastern Asia.

A:The Aztecs sacrificed humans because they believed that without the sustenance of human life-blood, the sun would fail and the world would end. Their gods had sacrificed themselves to bring the world into existence, so humanity must continue the sacrifices to ensure the world remained sustained.

A:Samurai warriors wore kimonos, obis, loincloths, kamishimos, hakamas and occasionally long-sleeved coats and hats. Their clothing varied in quality and style depending on their socioeconomic status and level of mastery. All warriors wore loincloths, which served as underwear, along with belts and swords or other protective weapons, at all times.

A:The four staple foods in Mayan cuisine were squash, beans, maize and chili peppers, and they were often combined with meat or seafood. Squash, beans, and maize are often referred to as the "three sisters" because they provide all the necessary nutrients when eaten together.

A:Little is known about the oldest eras of ancient Hebrew civilization because the culture was nomadic. The most distinct and long-lasting elements of ancient Hebrew civilization lay not in its architectural, artistic or diplomatic contributions but in the focus of the people on a monotheistic God who was radically different from the gods worshipped by most ancient peoples.

A:Research suggests that the people of the Indus Valley civilization were peaceful. No weapons or other forms of protection from invaders or other civilizations were used. According to USHistory.org, no evidence of a military has been found in the remains of these ancient cities.

A:Great Britain took Hong Kong from China after winning the First Opium War and took southern Kowloon after winning the Second Opium War. Portugal claimed the Macau region and kept it until 1999. France took over the region that is now northern Vietnam from China by winning the Sino-French War.

A:Scholars traditionally regard Mesopotamia, an ancient area surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that is now parts of modern day Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Kuwait, as the cradle of civilization. The area is also know as the Fertile Crescent.

A:The wheel allowed Mesopotamians to create a number of novel transportation methods. It was also used in a variety of mechanical devices. Creating wheels may have also spawned new methods of making items that need precision.